According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency—usually known by its initials as FEMA—instead of enjoying the Emerald City, up to 40 percent of small businesses never reopen for business after suffering the impact of a man-made or a natural disaster. While insurance can pay for the loss of stock, supplies and structural damage, it cannot replace customers—the lifeblood of any business.

Planning for an office emergency is an essential task often overlooked or postponed in order to attend to the profit-generating aspect of the business. However, an up-to-date and comprehensive emergency plan can help save lives, reduce injuries and possibly mitigate the extent of the damage done to the office structure and supplies.

The Emergency Action Plan

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a template for businesses to prepare for almost every conceivable type of emergency. This document is prepared by the employee or employees assigned by the office manager or business owner to serve as “emergency coordinator(s)” for the office. This Emergency Action Plan collects the names and contact information for any appropriate agency relative to the specific emergency. Employee information such as emergency contacts, any disabilities or chronic illnesses that might require additional assistance either during an evacuation or secondary to a disaster is also kept on file. The Emergency Action Plan should be updated at least annually and reviewed by all employees to make sure the proper reaction to disaster is understood and familiar and so that employees don’t replicate actions.

The Ready Campaign

Following the terrorist attacks of 1999, FEMA developed what the agency termed The Ready Campaign. First targeted toward the general population via family units, the program has since expanded to include businesses and government agencies. The three main goals of any Ready campaign include:

• Collecting the necessary materials for an emergency supply kit;
• Establishing an appropriate plan in case of an emergency; and
• Learning about potential disasters and specific actions to take for protection.

The Ready campaign provides information in English and Spanish for both children and adults with special information available for families or businesses.

A Basic Disaster Supplies Kit

While some adjustments are required depending upon whether a home or business disaster supply kit is being assembled, the following items are usually suggested for either type:

• A source of drinking water, recommended as one gallon per person per day, for a minimum of three days. Businesses can often utilize the large 5-gallon jugs of potable water delivered for use in water dispensers. Water fountains cannot be relied upon after a disaster as the electrical power to pump the water may be interrupted or water pipes may have burst. In this case, cases of drinking water in plastic bottles held together with shrink-wrap can be stored in a closet or storage area.
• A first-aid kit for treatment of any minor injuries.
• Both rechargeable and battery-operated flashlights with extra batteries should be on hand in the event of a power outage. These may be necessary to assist in an office evacuation by helping to locate emergency exits, to find injured employees in an inner office or at night and to signal to first responders. Fully charged rechargeable units should be utilized first. If the power outage is sustained in length, a rechargeable flashlight can be exchanged for a battery-operated one as its power fails.

Anticipating the Worst to Experience the Best

Neither the CDC nor FEMA’s work is designed to scare employees or families. However, preparation can often make the difference between an inconvenience versus an emergency situation. Keep your car’s gas tank at least half full at all times. Sign up for emergency text messages available from FEMA, the National Weather Service and your local government. Carry your cellphone’s chargers with you and keep your device fully charged. Cellphones are of little help in an emergency if the regular phone system is disrupted and your phone is running low on power. Finally, remember that cellphone provider capacities are often overwhelmed during crises; however, tweets reach Twitter and are read and shared with the appropriate authorities.

Your house is so clean that you never panic when the doorbell rings. When people are on your front stoop, you relish opening the door so the fresh, summer-breeze scent that permeates your spotless home can waft out and invite them in. In fact, you’ve been known to invite the postman and proselytizers inside simply to show off your pristine home.

If you’re this good at cleaning your own crib, just imagine what you could do with other people’s houses! Before you laugh, consider the many benefits owning your own house cleaning business would provide. You get to be your own boss and decide the hours you want to work, whether part-time or full-time. The start-up costs are extremely low; basically, all you need is a reliable car and the right cleaning supplies. Here’s how to get started.  More →

(Photo credit: Kevin Krebs)

There’s always a thrill in getting a new job – it probably means a better offer, the chance to learn new things and experience new job opportunities. But then before you experience all of these things, you’ll need to do one thing first – quit your present job.

Here’s how you can quit your job like a professional: More →

Business has the most success potential when it is able to move along with market demands.  There is actually no need to completely abandon a tried and tested manner of doing business such as in brick-and-mortar stores but they do have to learn more current ways of doing business such as the e-commerce to ensure maximization of presence and profit.  Making use of the respective advantage of offline and online businesses can provide just the exact formula to always remain on the customer’s list of preferred businesses to patronize.

Brick-and-mortar businesses make use of a physical location as a point of purchase for their customers.  In the process, they are able to establish a presence that customers can identify and locate as opposed to an online business which can only be identified through their websites.  Traditional customers remains a considerable niche which should not be neglected.  They are the ones who prefer to examine their products before purchase and still enjoy the thrill of going through actual displays in finding their choice buys.  The main disadvantage of this type of business is the overhead expense in maintaining a physical store as well as the need to hire employees.

Online businesses are relatively inexpensive when compared to their brick-and-mortar counterparts.  There is also no limit as to what specific nature to enter into as long as it can be marketed online.  Its main disadvantage is the issue of trust that plagues website-only businesses.  Another disadvantage is the wide range of competition easily found in the online environment.  These issues are resolved by establishing reliable service and appropriate marketing efforts.

A combination of the offline and online business model has worked for many businesses.  Not only does the option solidify an established brand, it also increases market potential both ways.  Nothing beats giving customers wider options to purchase from your business.

If you’ve never taken the time to check out your local library, you may be really missing out. Most public libraries have a business librarian who can answer business related questions and has contacts in the business world. Even if your library system doesn’t have a librarian who is dedicated to business, you can find a selection of popular business books and business databases. While you can find the latest bestsellers, don’t forget to check the shelves for must read classics like Think and Grow Rich.

However, most libraries don’t stop there. Your library may also offer business workshops and networking opportunities. Our local library system even has a librarian who specializes in consulting with small business owners and people who want to start a business. She has helped over a dozen people start their own businesses in the last year.

So, the next time you have a business related question, pick up the phone and contact your local business librarian. If you’re afraid your question is too simple, don’t be. The librarian’s creed is “There is no such thing is a stupid question.”

Have you used your local library as a business resource? I’d love to hear if your business librarian is as useful and helpful as the librarians I’ve contacted.

The inventory of raw materials and finished goods of most companies engaged in product selling are critical to efficiently balance stock on hand and stocks for delivery. Setting inventory safety stock levels is a practice that most people undertake in varying situations, each depending on the type of product that they market, and depending on the product’s life cycle. Surely, setting a stock safety level so that available goods and raw materials needed in selling and actual production of their specialty good will be a telling factor in the course of the business.

To avoid shortages or overstocking, a careful analysis of historical data of the inflow and outflow of goods must be properly studied. This is the only way to be able to set the stock level needed to allow an organization to function properly.

For more elaborate insights on inventories, here is a good link to setting Inventory Levels.

Remembering the events of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11 will forever be in the mind of people in the world, the signal of the start of terrorism. Still fresh in the minds that lead to a series of conflicts that is headed by the world’s acknowledged power; the suspected mastermind has openly admitted his hand in staging the planning of the unforgiving tragedy that claimed the lives of thousand of people on that faithful day now known as 9/11.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted before a military hearing his alleged mastermind of the whole thing at the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Mohammed also took responsibility for other terrorist activities that have transpired and also some future planned attacks of terror that have yet to be executed.

The list of the confessions made by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is contained in a 26 page transcript from the Pentagon. Some remarks were marked out but among those that were included were assassination attempts and other acts of terror, some of which have not yet been carried out yet.

[tags]world trade center, 9/11, khalid sheikh mohammed[/tags]

As expected from the previous blog entry, the evident resignation of Army Francis J. Harvey was indeed intended for an impending turmoil that has focused on the below quality service that the said medical facilities have been giving towards their inbound patients, mostly military personnel. Such has become a political circus and has become a feeding ground for political figures in making it one of their stepping boards towards media attention today.

The outrageous issue has gotten out of control, especially since it concerns the condition of injured troops who are in the middle of the nation’s attention of the ongoing war. Different testimonies led by high ranked military personnel are set to support the congress’ obvious outrage of this breaking news. The most significant highlight of this issue is the supposed exodus of skilled staff that has lowered the quality of service provided by the medical facility and further risking the injuries and conditions of the wounded troops.

[tags]walter reed medical center, harvey, us troops, war[/tags]

Perhaps in one of the alarming news that has graced leading tabloids and newspapers is the downfall of the stock market, a crisis that has alarmed most parts of the world. The stocks have been pummeling and the people are slowly panicking. Rightfully so, this is not a good sign for investors and the overall economy of the world as a whole.

People would not understand the importance of stock falls. Their worth in the market is something that has significant contribution especially in trading practices of leading corporations and one company’s downfall becomes a domino effect that will include the other companies who trade and offer their stocks for sale to raise the essential funds to keep themselves at par.

Additional capital in the form of stocks offered in the market is its main prerogative and low turnouts and stock value tumbling affects the entire economy and not just one corporation. The impact that falls in the stock market impacts everything in the world of business and such feedbacks of market downfall is indeed a cause for alarm in most cases.

[tags]stock market, trading, company shares, IPO[/tags]

Healthcare, an obviously growing market to which a large chunk of income is expected to pass through has been tagged as the area to which proper taxation should be imposed. The US government has been busy catering towards the current tax issues on various fields that it has totally forgotten about other areas that can help in financing it budget issues, most of which have been garnering insights with regards to budget issues for tax reforms to date.

As always, the frontrunner in pursuing this is no one else but President George Bush, who is totally aware that health insurance and coverage are becoming popular locally. Health has been given a lot of importance to date with people becoming more aware of its role in the life of any person, both young and old.

Health insurance is only normal since the rising cost in the medical field is a need to keep people healthy. However, it should be noted that people will have to be properly educated that taxes corresponding to such a source is helpful not only for the government but in funding affected areas that a country has to attend to as well.

[tags]health insurance, Bush, us budget[/tags]